Session V – Botho/Ubuntu: Deepening Values for Intergenerational Continuity

Botho/Ubuntu is one of the greatest motivations for the work I do. Since childhood, I have received moral and financial support from others aside from my parents and that has been the reason for my success today. Inspired by my personal story, I started “A New Dawn,” an organization committed to guiding underprivileged girls to realize their dreams and become agents of change in their society. Through this project, I was selected as a Dalai Lama Fellow which has enabled me to become a resilient, courageous and an interdependent leader. As a result, I have relied more on the girls I work with to design programs that work best for everyone. To me, that is what Botho/Ubuntu stands for — recognizing our responsibility to impact our communities and always asking those involved what they truly need. The future of Botho/Ubuntu in our world can be strengthened by deepening the values of every person, teaching them that the world needs their contribution, and by also hearing what the world has to say, and together build strong connections and inclusive solutions. Let us try it and celebrate ourselves through doing so even though we are likely to fail several times before we achieve our goals.